ok that post was scheduled aa while ago but its not true, had change of plans. jeez.
I implore everyone to watch Werner Herzog's 1997 documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly." Possibly his best and most human film, but he's incapable of making anything below 5 stars.
It's a compelling first-hand account of Dieter Dengler, a German native like Herzog who grew up in the post-WWII era, he experienced such destitution amidst the ruins of Berlin that his mother had to boil wallpaper from bombed-out buildings just to feed the family. Passionate about aviation, he moved to America at 18, eventually becoming a Navy aviator and deploying to Vietnam.
The story’s highlight is his harrowing wartime ordeal after his bomber crashed. He was captured by the Viet Cong and subjected to wretched imprisonment, he eventually escaped alongside a companion who would remain forever in his memory, though he ultimately emerged as the sole survivor. Herzog encourages Dieter to act out his ordeal first with locals playing the roles of his prison guards, and then his long pilgrimage back to finally being rescued. A regular person would crack while being pushed that far, but Dieter kept such a charismatic attitude because he was dying to tell this story. It got crazier by the minute.
Dieter is a mirror of Herzog. Both children of the hungry post-war, both ambitious dreamers who ended up over their heads. They tamed beasts, fought and lost battles, and carried a lifetime of burdens in stoic silence. Herzog’s misery was a tar pit from which he wrested himself, while Dieter, the little boy who wanted to fly, was consumed by fire.
A phenomenal survival story of a remarkably cheerful man animatedly walking you through the most horrifying memories of his life. Yet Herzog genius shows you the pain behind his eyes without saying it out right. People like Dieter do not exist anymore, he is an inspiration of grit and determination.
It's a compelling first-hand account of Dieter Dengler, a German native like Herzog who grew up in the post-WWII era, he experienced such destitution amidst the ruins of Berlin that his mother had to boil wallpaper from bombed-out buildings just to feed the family. Passionate about aviation, he moved to America at 18, eventually becoming a Navy aviator and deploying to Vietnam.
The story’s highlight is his harrowing wartime ordeal after his bomber crashed. He was captured by the Viet Cong and subjected to wretched imprisonment, he eventually escaped alongside a companion who would remain forever in his memory, though he ultimately emerged as the sole survivor. Herzog encourages Dieter to act out his ordeal first with locals playing the roles of his prison guards, and then his long pilgrimage back to finally being rescued. A regular person would crack while being pushed that far, but Dieter kept such a charismatic attitude because he was dying to tell this story. It got crazier by the minute.
Dieter is a mirror of Herzog. Both children of the hungry post-war, both ambitious dreamers who ended up over their heads. They tamed beasts, fought and lost battles, and carried a lifetime of burdens in stoic silence. Herzog’s misery was a tar pit from which he wrested himself, while Dieter, the little boy who wanted to fly, was consumed by fire.
A phenomenal survival story of a remarkably cheerful man animatedly walking you through the most horrifying memories of his life. Yet Herzog genius shows you the pain behind his eyes without saying it out right. People like Dieter do not exist anymore, he is an inspiration of grit and determination.
𝚜𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚛
I implore everyone to watch Werner Herzog's 1997 documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly." Possibly his best and most human film, but he's incapable of making anything below 5 stars. It's a compelling first-hand account of Dieter Dengler, a German native…
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Dieter took an early retirement from the armed forces and became a civilian test pilot. He survived four more crashes and flies to this day. Death did not want him.